A Kiss on the Dock
by marina7070
Summary: Finnick has always wondered how his father met his mother, and one day he decided to ask. The story is full of twists and turns and a kiss on the dock. A quick little one-shot of his parents.


It was a sunny day in District Four. Almost every family was on the beach, having fun or fishing in the shallow water. Kids threw a ball around or made sandcastles with pots and pans, and some kids played in the murky, green water. Finnick Odair and his father, Tiberius Odair, where fishing on a dock away from the rest of the district. There was tense silence for a while, before Finnick opened his mouth to speak. "Father?" He looked up at the taller man and winced as the sun shone in his eyes. "How did you meet mother?"

Finnick's father gazed wearily at his child. "Finn, it's a long story. I don't think you'll be able to follow along."

"I will, father! Tell me and I promise I'll understand!"

Finnick's father sighed, laying his fishing rod on the dock. "All right. Take a seat and I'll tell you." Finnick smiled happily and set down his fishing rod, then sat beside his father, dangling his legs over the edge. The tips of his shoes grazed the surface of the water.

"It was a stormy day when I met your mother. Cold, dark, and windy. It had been raining buckets all day and lightning was striking the ground. I was outside, of course, fishing for my family. Sales had been slowly decreasing and we needed to sell more fish. Since I'm the oldest, and my dad was sick and my mom was trying to scrape together some food, I had to go out. I grabbed my fishing rod, opened the door, and headed out into the pouring rain, wearing nothing but a thin jacket and some shorts.

"I hadn't actually fished. I was too nervous lightning would hit the lake, and then shock me, and I would die. So I hid the fishing rod in a barrel beside my house and headed over to the general store. I always had money in my pocket, and if I had enough I might be able to buy a fish and pretend I bought it. When I arrived, your mother was perched on the counter, laughing about something her father had said. A nice man, but a man of little words. When I came in, he stopped laughing and returned to his spot beside the counter. Your mother hopped off and stalked through the door leading to the back bedrooms. I looked over some fish before selecting one and taking it to the front counter. It was a little less than what I had, and I bought a small necklace, too. With nice, shiny pearls and shells. In fact, it was the one she is wearing today.

"I bought the fish, and when I went to leave, her father told me it was unsafe to go out in the storm. He said I would have to stay the night and wait until morning to head home. I was sad - the wind might've knocked down the barrel with my fishing rod inside - but I didn't protest. He let me look around for a little bit before leading me into the back.

"A small dinner was set up. A bowl of buns, burnt at the edges. Two small fish on a plate. A salad of greens in a crystal-clear bowl. A jug of water with lemon slices. I took a seat across from your mother and made a quick prayer before grabbing a plate and filling it up with food. We made small-talk over dinner; I talked about my family with Mr. Everance I asked him about his. After dinner, we cleaned up the plates and I helped Mr. Odair with the dishes. We had a bit of sponge cake for dessert and played a quick card game before the family headed off to bed.

"Mr. Everance had laid out some blankets for me on their firm couch. I crawled under the covers, and I stayed awake, thoughts running rapidly through my mind. I didn't know what my family was thinking about me - had I got lost at storm? Was I whipped into the high waves? Or was I struck by lightning and lying flat-out dead on the dock? I shut my eyes, and tried to fall asleep. But then I heard the door creak open.

"Out came your mother, dressed from head to toe in black material. I fishing net was slung over her should, and a mask covered almost her entire face. I didn't move, or make a sound, because I was afraid she would notice me and whatever she was doing would be ruined. She looked around before exiting the door into the main area of the shop.

"After knowing she wouldn't come back, I followed her. I followed her scent, which vaguely smelled of vanilla. I followed it until it went out the door, into the storm. Was I to follow her? Was I to go back to the couch, which was uncomfortable yet warm? After a moment's hesitation, I followed her."

"Father, did you love mother first? Or did she love you first?" Finnick interrupted, gazing hopefully at the old man.

"She liked me first," his father replied, smiling at the thought. "And I would love to tell you the rest, but we should get going. Your mother will start making dinner soon."

Finnick grabbed his fishing pole and stood up, grabbing his father's hand as his father stood up. "Father, will you tell me the rest of the story tomorrow?"

"Of course, Finn," his father said, walking down the dock while holding his son's hand.

"Now, where did we leave off?" Finnick's father was looking through the surface of the water into the depths below, trying to spot any seashells or fish.

"You just met mom and now she went out into the storm and you're following her." Finnick lay on his back, floating on the water.

"Ah, that's right. Now, after heading out into the storm, I remembered I was wearing a tight muscle shirt and shorts. I ran back inside and threw on a coat, then headed back out. It was dark, for sure, but I could faintly see her silhouette in the darkness. I followed hastily, wanting to get this over with and see what she was doing as soon as I could.

"It turns out she was heading to my house. I don't know what she was doing, to be honest, but I followed her anyway. I saw her disappear behind the open door and I could hear voices emitting from the house, and as I peeked around the door I saw your mother behind hugged by my mother. She was crying. It hurt to see her like that, and I knew it was partially my fault. I walked inside and my mother didn't notice me until I cleared my throat.

"For the next few minutes, I was treated harshly. My mother yelled at me about not getting fish and going off and doing something that I wasn't supposed to be doing, and your mother yelled at me about following her. I wasn't angry, because it was my fault. After a while, they calmed down, and my mother made your mom stay for the night because the wind was getting even worse. She told her that she had already planned on doing so, because she didn't want to make the trip again, and she turned to me and smiled. She slept on the floor beside my bed. We talked almost all night.

"The next day she went with my family down to the beach. We hung out and ate food because, believe or not, Finn, the sun was out and shining, and not a single cloud was in the sky. At noon her family caught up with us and we play beach games and had swimming contests until the sun started setting. Your mother and I headed down to the dock, the one where we were yesterday. We talked for a bit before admitting she had always had a crush on me. She leaned over, and kissed me. And I knew I was a goner."

Finnick's eyes widened. "You kissed her? How old were you?" he asked.

"You don't need to know, Finn." His father gave him a cheeky grin. "You don't need to know."

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Hunger Games.**

So I had this story idea last night and wrote most of it, then got kicked off the computer. I finished it today, edited it, and uploaded it! 3 I think it's pretty good, actually. Most of it is dialogue so I didn't need to be too descriptive. c: Also, what do you think of this story? Is it good? Bad? Exciting? Boring? Leave a review and tell me!

And thanks to everyone who read "The Deaths of Bonnie and Twill, my other Hunger Games one-shot! If you haven't read it, go onto my profile and click it in the stories box. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!


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